Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Byrne c.1030 YCh7

• Birne, Byrne 1194–1214,13 Selby 13 YDxvi,90 1279–81 QW 1288 Baild 1300 1303 Aid 1495 Ipm

• Burne 1285 KI 1511 Ch 1523 FF 1673 SelbyW

• Bryne 1374 Ipm

• Bourne 1591 FF

• Borne 1598 FF

Etymology

The OE spelling does not favour a derivation of Burn from byrgen 'burial place', as suggested in Bk 165 (s.n. Burn Hill) and EPN i, 73.It is more probably OE  bryne 'burning, place cleared by burning' (with metathesised forms byrne ). Further, there is no evidence of any kind of a burial place or mound here. Byrnum in YCh 7 is probably Byram 46infra .